A Strange Door
by lamoria
Summary: How Gaius Prentus ended up with his posting near the Strange Door.


**A/N:** This is the first fan fiction I've ever written, so I appreciate criticism that can help for future stories. I'm not sure why I chose to write about this, but it seemed interesting when I thought about it. This story should not contain any spoilers that would ruin any in-game storyline, only slight mentions to things that actually already exist.

I do not own _The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion_, or any related elements.

* * *

Gaius paced back and forth across the room ten or twenty more times, he wouldn't bother to keep count, before he sat back down at the small table in the middle of the room, and read the letter again, with a lasting bitter taste in his mouth.

"_Gaius Prentus,_

_As I'm sure you know, a strange rock formation has appeared out in the Niben Bay, not too far from our city gates. The citizens are becoming worried that it could be dangerous, and have requested a posting of guards to go investigate. After a meeting with the Castle's council, it was decided that you would be the best for the position. You are removed from your current posting immediately, and are to report to the rock formation as soon as this letter reaches your quarters._

_Sincerely,_

_Regulus Terentius, Count Bravil_"

He had to have read the letter at least ten times by now, but was still shocked with disbelief at what it said.

"Damn!" As far as he knew, that was the only word he had bothered to mutter since returning to his quarters for lunch and discovering the letter that had been slipped under his door, sealed with the unmistakable Bravil seal. "Does the bastard really have nothing better to do than conjure up new ways to make me miserable?"

Before this new "assignment", he was posted near the statue of the Lucky Old Lady. Posted to _watch_ a statue. To make sure no one caused any trouble. "_You will be posted there to make sure no one defiles her_" were the words from the Count's mouth. Defile ... _her_? It was a statue, for the Nine's sake! A figure made out of stone, or rock, or something, he didn't care. He couldn't care. He wouldn't care.

The whole time he was posted there, the only living thing that even got near the statue was a suspicious looking Bosmer. Suspicious not only because he stood in front of the thing from five-thirty in the evening until around three o'clock in the morning, just standing, nothing more, but suspicious because, besides the more important residents of the Castle, and a few members of the Mages Guild, he was the only one in town who wore high class clothing. Where would he have even bought them? What does he do that would afford him these clothes? You were lucky in this town if you could afford _middle_ class clothing. This elf obviously isn't originally from Bravil, so what would have compelled him to move here? To Bravil? To Cyrodiil's "cloaca", as many of the residents called it. These assumptions were far from incorrect.

Gaius never bothered to pay too much attention to the elf, as he never did anything that would be considered unlawful. The elf kept to himself, and that's all he could ask for. Why couldn't the rest of the town be more like the tree hugger? He almost seemed too good to be true. He never did anything that was against the law, while all the residents around him were constantly getting drunk, getting into fights, drinking Skooma, stealing from others, or gambling. After a while, he couldn't care less what the elf did when he locked himself away from the rest of Bravil, away from the rest of the world, in his house. Whatever he does, at least he does it quietly.

Even before he had been "promoted" to his statue watching duty, he was assigned to guarding the torture chamber. The only thing he would have ever guarded in there would have been the men, or the mer, or the whatever, that was ever tortured in there. During his whole posting, not one soul was ever brought in for torture.

"I don't think Terentius ever believed I had an ounce of skill. Either that, or he has some long, unprovoked grudge against me," he muttered, setting the letter down on the small table, rubbing his temples to prevent a migraine that he was sure could creep up on him at any moment, "I mean, really, has anyone else ever been assigned the positions I've held? No. I've been in the Bravil Guard for twenty years, and not once has anyone ever said anything about anybody else guarding the torture chamber, or watching the statue. I'm sure after I'm gone, there wont be anyone else to take my place on that strange rock formation, either. If he doesn't want me on the Guard, he could at least have the decency to fire me! A black mark like that on my record would be much easier to deal with than these ridiculous postings I've-" Before he could speak another word, the door to his quarters swung open quickly, and fiercely.

"Gaius!" The Count was angry, and Gaius could see it, feel it, and sense it. Terentius' face was as red as one of Undena Orethi's tomatoes, and the veins on his neck, and forehead were pulsing rapidly. "Why are you still sitting there? I sent the letter to you hours ago!"

Gaius stood up, and bowed. As much as he hated this man, he didn't feel the need to lower himself to the level of the scum of Bravil by showing disrespect, "Your Highness," he said coldly before standing to grab his helmet, sword, and shield and then walked out of the room. He didn't want to listen to whatever speech the Count had prepared for this situation. He didn't care.

His walk that began in the castle, crossing the bridge between the Castle and the town, passing the Fighters Guild, the statue of the Lucky Old Lady, The Fair Deal, Silverhome on the Water, and finally through the city gates, was the best thing that had ever happened to him. As he happily walked through the gates that belonged to Cyrodiil's own Oblivion, and then across the bridge connecting Bravil to the rest of the world, he glanced out into the Niben Bay at the rock formation that would be his fate. He could swear he saw some sort of light emanating from the thing, but he shrugged it off. Not only why, but how, could a formation of rocks, contain, and let off light? He walked down to the shore, fighting off a mud crab, wondering if anything worse than that awaited him across the bay, and climbed into the boat that would lead him away from the hell that was his life. The trip to the eyesore took one long, boring hour.

"Strange... it seems as if there's a ramp, leading from the water, up onto this formation," he wondered aloud as he climbed out of the boat, "and not only that, but it seems there's some sort of... floral growth? These plants look nothing like the other ones in Cyrodiil."

A few more steps, and he rounded a corner, stopping in his tracks. "That... that light! It's not a light... it looks more like a ... portal? But to where?" He unsheathed his sword as he approached the strange portal slowly, entranced by the light particles he could now see. "This portal seems to be set inside a ... mouth? This rock has faces?! What kind of-" he began to ask himself, curiously and angrily, only moments before noticing a figure standing near the portal. A human figure... with a tail?

"Who are you?" he demanded, as the figure approached him slowly. It was getting dark by now, and with the portal emanating that light, he was unable to adjust his eyes to the view quickly enough. He readied his sword, prepared for a fight, but the figure seemed to materialize before him into a harmless looking Khajiit.

"Who are you?" he demanded again, with more force in his voice. The confusion and fright quickly faded from his face and mind, turning to anger and rage, as the Khajiit walked past him without saying a word, without even glancing at him, and just stood there... standing... staring... squatting?

"What's going on here?" he asked, as he grabbed the Khajiit's shoulder when she stood up, spinning her around forcefully.

"You can't see me. You can't see me. Neither can He. Nobody can see me." was her only reply.

"What do you mean I can't see you? You're perfectly visible!" he stated with anger, as she squatted down again, possibly looking for something, but he couldn't be sure. Another forceful hand to the shoulder only gave him the response, "No. Go away. I'm not here."

"What kind of madness-" he tried to speak aloud before another figure began to appear in the portal. It was curious, the portal seemed to make some kind of screeching noise when the figure exited. This one looked like an Imperial. The build, the features, the lack of a tail.

"Why? Why?! It's mad! Pure madness! Please, don't make me go back in there! It's too much. The madness... it's..." at that the strange Imperial's look turned from confusion and fright to that of anger, and he unsheathed a dagger, and raised it toward Gaius. Gaius knew how to handle these situations, or at least he thought. The fight didn't last long, with the madman wielding only a dagger, but it was still a tougher fight than any he had had with the drunkards, Skooma addicts, or thieves who wielded a dagger against him in the past.

"Bah! You were useless anyway. Wouldn't have wanted you back. Now, I'm still looking for a champion, a TRUE champion, one capable of saving My realm. Any takers?"

"Who said that? Where are you?" Gaius asked, the fear returning to his voice.

Nothing. Silence. He waited for the next hour, ready to raise his blade if need be, but nothing happened. All seemed calm. The only movement came from himself, the strange Khajiit, and the portal in front of him.

He drew in a deep breath, and let it out slowly. "Why me?"


End file.
